Encyclopedia of the Age of the Industrial Revolution, 1700-1920: 2 volumes - Hardcover

Rider, Christine

9780313335013: Encyclopedia of the Age of the Industrial Revolution, 1700-1920: 2 volumes

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031333501X ISBN 13: 9780313335013

Publisher: Greenwood, 2007

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Although the temptation is to focus on technological changes and their application to industry, the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century also influenced social life, political and economic institutions, and the physical landscape. The discoveries and changes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries might seem minor when compared to the technological advances of recent decades, but those advances would not have been possible without the people and developments of the Industrial Revolution. In over 150 entries that cover all aspects of this historical transformation of industry and society, this encyclopedia describes the major people, events, and inventions that defined the Industrial Revolution in Britain, the United States, and elsewhere.

Besides entries that describe the specific course of the Industrial Revolution in such places as Asia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Russia, Spain, and the U.S.,the encyclopedia offers entries on such important people as: Alexander Graham Bell, Matthew Bouldton, Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, Flora Tristan, James Watt. Other entries cover such important inventions as: Electric Dynamo, Repeating Rifles, Sewing Machines, Steam Turbine, Submarines, Typewriters. And still other entries cover such vital social issues as: Child Labor and Child Labor Laws, Ecological Impact of the Industrial Revolution, Slavery, Temperance Movement, Urbanization, Wealth and Poverty in the Industrial Revolution.

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About the Author

Christine Rider is Professor Emerita at St. John's University in New York. She is the author of An Introduction to Economic History (1995) and co-editor of Socialist Economies in Transition: Appraislas of the Market Mechanism (1992) and of The Industrial Revolution in Comparative Perspective (1997). Her research interests include various aspects of international economic development and social economies, and she has published in these areas. She was President of the Association for Social Economics in 1998-99.

Reviews

The discoveries of the Industrial Revolution brought change to everyday life. This encyclopedia has more than 150 lengthy entries not only for industrial-age innovations (such as Flour milling and Railroads) and inventors (such as Thomas Edison) but also for social, political, and economic aspects (such as Child labor). Geographic coverage extends across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. More than 150 entries are alphabetically arranged. Those for individuals, events, and specific inventions tend to be no more than a page in length, while those for countries and regions (Canada, Industrial Revolution in) and important applications (Cotton, Food) can be several pages. Each entry concludes with a list of further readings. One strong feature of the encyclopedia is the inclusion of 28 primary documents included in volume 2, among them the Embargo Act (1807) and excerpts from John Mitchell’s Organized Labor, Its Problems, Purposes, and Ideals (1903). A detailed annotated bibliography is also found in volume 2. Volume 1 contains a “Chronology for the Industrial Revolution,” which includes some political and military events to provide context, as well as a list of entries organized by topic. This text is suggested for libraries that want a global perspective on the Industrial Revolution. Reflecting a narrower focus, James Olson’s Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in America (Greenwood, 2001) has significantly shorter entries for some topics, such as Coal mining and Music; but it also has entries for many topics, such as U.S. court cases, not found in the newer work. Smaller libraries already owning Olson’s text may have all they need since it provides a good starting point for research and study, but Encyclopedia of the Age of the Industrial Revolution, 1700–1920 is recommended for academic and large public libraries. This title is also available as an e-book. --Kristen Mastel

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